Marc Márquez triumphed this Saturday (the 12th) in the San Marino Sprint, the 14th round of the 2026 MotoGP season. The Ducati rider started from second on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy, but seized the lead within moments and kept a safe margin over his rivals to win the short race.
The runner-up spot went to Marco Bezzecchi, the Aprilia rider who could not mount a push after being overtaken. Jorge Martín, the championship leader, finished third with the other Aprilia on the grid, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio in fourth aboard a VR46 Ducati. The group of the top five also included Álex Márquez, aboard a Gresini Ducati.
Pedro Acosta, aboard KTM, completed the race in sixth place, ahead of Raúl Fernández, seventh with the Trackhouse Aprilia. Fermín Aldeguer, Álex Márquez’s teammate, finished eighth, with Luca Marini on a Honda in ninth, closing the points-scoring positions. Johann Zarco, from LCR Honda, completed the top ten, followed by his teammate Diogo Moreira in 11th.
The San Marino MotoGP Grand Prix will take place this Sunday (the 13th), with the start scheduled for 9:00 a.m.
See how the race unfolded
The race began with Marc Márquez taking the lead into the first corner, leaving Marco Bezzecchi in second, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Jorge Martín. Fermín Aldeguer dropped to fifth. A little further back, Diogo Moreira moved up to tenth in the early laps of the race.
Still on the opening lap, Pedro Acosta advanced to fifth, overtaking Aldeguer, who came under pressure from Álex Márquez, his Gresini teammate. In the back of the pack, Francesco Bagnaia overtook Pol Espargaró, claiming 14th. Álex Márquez overtook Aldeguer and Acosta, breaking into the top five by the third lap.
Aldeguer slid down the order to eighth, while Fabio Quartararo crashed with Yamaha after a clash with Moreira, who continued in the race. The Brazilian dropped one position to 11th, behind Johann Zarco, as Márquez opened a one-second gap over Bezzecchi. In front, Di Giannantonio received a track-limits warning, while Márquez pulled a one-second advantage over Bezzecchi.
On lap seven, Martín launched an attack on Di Giannantonio and seized third place. In the battle for the lead, Bezzecchi cut Márquez’s gap to seven-tenths on the ninth lap. Moreira, meanwhile, held 11th position.
With four laps remaining, Bezzecchi reduced Márquez’s lead to half a second, while Martín could not close in on the top two. Di Giannantonio, for his part, came under pressure from Álex Márquez, as the fight for fourth intensified.
The race entered the final lap with Márquez 1.1 seconds ahead of Bezzecchi, seemingly en route to victory. Bezzecchi and Martín completed the podium, while Moreira finished 11th.
